University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino made his first public statement to the media tonight at 6:30 pm.  In case you missed it, here is what was said:

Coach Pitino started off by saying that it was a difficult decision for him to come forward and tell the truth about  the incident with Karen Sypher.  He said he followed his own advice that he tells his players. He said that by telling the truth it becomes a part of your past instead of lying and making it a part of your future. Pitino said that the last 7 months have been very difficult for him and his family.  He first and foremost said he apologizes to his family for his indiscretions from 6 years ago.   Pitino says he apologizes to them everyday.  He then wanted to apologize to his extended family which includes his players, recruits, the media, and his fans.  He said he will continue to cooperate with local and federal authorities regarding the extortion case and he cannot comment on the case because it is a serious ongoing investigation.  He hopes that the trial will come quickly and be resolved in a timely matter so this can all be behind him and he can focus on basketball.  He was very appreciative of athletic director Tom Jurich and university president James Ramsey for standing behind him.   Pitino mentioned that he loves the University of Louisville and the Louisville community.  He claimed he will be the head coach at UofL for as long as he has a passion for coaching basketball and that he is going nowhere as long as the university will have him.    

I thought Pitino was very sincere in his apology and  it seemed like this whole ordeal has really gotten to him.  I think this was the right thing for Rick to do in order to start putting this all behind him.  I still believe he has the support of the UofL fan base as well as the university and I look forward to him coaching the Cardinals for several more seasons. 

On a side note, both the Tom Jurich and James Ramsey issued written statements.  Jurich said that he is behind Pitino “One Million Percent”.  He said that Rick Pitino will be the men’s basketball coach for many years to come.  Dr. Ramsey expressed disappointment in Pitino’s actions and that they cannot be overlooked.  He also showed support of Pitino by saying that Rick has been a role model for the university and community for many years.  He also said that apologizing was the right thing for Pitino to do and that he has shown that he can continue to be a great leader. 

Both Jurich and Dr. Ramsey met with coach Pitino earlier in the day.